Two Years Ago:
"Kaitlin, what's wrong," Gene asked. "You have been upset ever since I got here."
"And why shouldn't I be," by her tone Gene could tell that she was on the verge of crying. "I don't even know why you're here?"
"What are you talking about," Gene was perplexed. "Kaitlin, I love you. What is it?"
"You love me," she scoffed as her voice grew louder. "You love me, but you are letting your family destroy mine. You love me," she scoffed again. "Your mother and your brother are taking advantage of my father's bad luck and you have the nerve to say you love me. I was all just part of the grand Barkly plan wasn't I, just in case my father might get ahead for once in his life."
Gene looked around to see if Kaitlin's yelling had drawn anyone's attention. They had been dating for months. Gene had brought her on this picnic to propose to her. He was more confused than he had ever been. He had originally thought that her demeanor was because she suspected the proposal and was nervous or that maybe she didn't feel the same way about him that he did about her. He had no idea what she was talking about now. He knew that his family did business with hers, they were neighbors and their land bordered each other in the east section of the Barkley ranch, he had never considered it unusual or that it could become a wedge between them.
"Kaitlin, I have no idea what you are talking about," Gene's voice was low and sincere. "What happened? Maybe I can fix it."
"You really don't know," Kaitlin still seemed unsure. "Why did you bring me out here today?"
Gene tilted his head to one side. It killed him to see her upset; this isn't the way he wanted to do this, but he knew that he needed to tell her the truth so that she would believe him when he said he didn't know what she was talking about. He sighed heavily and reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the small band he bought before he had moved home from San Francisco permanently after graduation. "I wanted to ask you to marry me," he twisted his face into a smile and offered her the ring.
"What," Kaitlin's eyes filled with tears and Gene could see that she had genuinely not suspected this. "You still want to marry me?"
"Of course I do," Gene nodded. "Kaitlin, I love you, you mean the world to me. How could you doubt that?"
Kaitlin took the ring and admired it as the tears streamed down her face. "Gene," she looked up at him. "Your mother and your brothers loaned my father some money."
"So," Gene shrugged. "What about it?"
"You know that my father had a terrible year. He lost over half his herd and most of his crop this season."
Gene nodded. "I know he has been having a rough time of it lately. But Kaitlin, I still don't understand what it going on."
"Well," she huffed. "That is what I am trying to tell you. Your family lent my father money. He put the ranch up as collateral and now he can't pay what he owes. Jarrod brought papers last night and told my father that they are taking the ranch to settle his debt. Don't you see Gene," she began to cry hard. "They are taking my father's ranch, they are taking my home."
"What," Gene was appalled. "Kaitlin, I swear to you, I didn't know anything about this."
"My father said that he figured you were only going with me in case he made good on the money. He said your family figured you could marry me and they would get a big chunk of the land anyway."
"That's not true," Gene pulled her close. "I swear that's not true sweetheart. I want to marry you because I love you. I didn't know anything about this."
"Oh Gene," she sobbed into his chest. "Please don't let your family go through with this. It will destroy my father. Please Gene."